Families, Families, Families!

A gallery of animal families — ducks, pandas, hippos, tigers, and more — appears in framed portraits, each one showing a different way to be a family, from two moms to a kid with just a pet plant.

For the kid who's already noticed that not every family looks like theirs, this book puts a duck family, a panda family, and dozens of others side by side and says every single one counts.

• Big idea: Love, not shape or size or species, is what makes a family a family.
• Vibes: Warm, gentle, and matter-of-fact, with rhyming text and cozy framed-portrait illustrations.

• are curious about families that look different from their own
• love rhyming text and finishing the last word
• enjoy spotting silly animal details in illustrations
• are working on understanding that love, not sameness, makes a family

• Real-life connection: Which portrait in the book looks most like your own family — the ducks by the pond, the pandas in pink vests, or someone else?
• Imagination: If your family had a portrait on the wall like the animals do, what would be in the background?
• Big idea: The book says if you love each other, you're a family — what does that mean to you?
• Story details: Did you notice the plant, the ceramic dog, and the ceramic cat hiding among the animal families? What else can you find?
• Feelings & empathy: How do you think a child who's adopted, or has two moms, or lives with grandparents feels when they see a portrait like theirs in this book?